![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305424199-04cd-e1784279728700.jpg\")
\n\t\tI spent thousands on supplements, medications, scans and appointments (Picture: Natalie Dyson)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tI spent thousands on supplements, medications, scans and appointments (Picture: Natalie Dyson)<\/p>\n
It was a normal morning four years ago, in 2022. I was doing my make-up in my bedroom mirror when I saw a mole near the crease of my armpit.<\/p>\n
My first instinct was panic<\/a>. Had it always looked like this? Was it normal?<\/p>\n Immediately, I assumed I had skin cancer<\/a> and started to catastrophise. I told myself the mole had changed months ago and I had missed it. I was convinced I had cancer<\/a> and that it had spread.<\/p>\n I called my GP straight away, but was told an appointment could take weeks. My head spinning with \u2018what ifs\u2019, I booked an appointment with a private dermatologist<\/a> for the following day.<\/p>\n It cost \u00a3500, but I didn\u2019t care. If it stopped these feelings of intense doom, it was worth it.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tAsk Metro<\/p>\n Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about \u2013 powered by Metro and trusted publications.<\/p>\n I suffered from severe health anxiety<\/a> for four years up until 2025 \u2013 and spent over \u00a36,000 on supplements<\/a>, medications, scans and appointments to diagnose illnesses I thought I had (and to prevent illnesses I worried I could get).<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say the quality of my life really suffered.<\/p>\n It started in September 2021 when I was pregnant<\/a> with my second child and I developed a pain in the side of my breast. Immediately, I assumed it was cancer \u2013 it was just the first thought that came into my mind. I don\u2019t know why.<\/p>\n \t\t This fear intensified during my 12-week scan, when the midwife said she saw a shadow in my womb and brought in a colleague in to look at it.<\/p>\n The midwife eventually explained it was a scar on my placenta and nothing to worry about \u2013 but it was too late, I was already spiralling. Once again, I thought I had cancer; this time, in my womb.<\/p>\n I spent the rest of my pregnancy getting two scans a week \u2013 each costing \u00a360 \u2013 to see if the private clinicians could spot the same shadow. I couldn\u2019t even be happy when they told me the baby was healthy; I just wanted to know if they could see any shadows.<\/p>\n It started to take over my life. The shadow was all I could think about and it completely took the joy out of my pregnancy. My partner, friends and family were reassuring; but I hid how many scans I had from them, so they didn\u2019t know how big the problem really was.<\/p>\n \t\t My worries eased after I\u2019d given birth \u2013\u00a0but that was because, with my health anxiety, I could only focus on one thing at a time. So when I found another problem \u2013 such as my mole \u2013 I immediately forgot about the previous one.<\/p>\n When the private dermatologist looked at the mole under a microscope and told me it was fine, I left the clinic feeling lighter than air \u2013 but soon doubt started to creep back in. What if he\u2019d looked at it wrong? What if he\u2019d misdiagnosed me?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDon’t miss our Money tips! Add us as a Preferred Source\t\t\t<\/p>\n At Metro Money, we’re here to bring you all the latest news and advice on personal finance, cost of living, saving and investing. As part of our vibrant community of highly engaged readers, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories.<\/p>\n Click the button below and tick\u00a0Metro.co.uk<\/strong>\u00a0to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/p>\n \nAdd us as a Preferred Source<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \t\t 10 days later I went to my GP. She was clear she agreed with the dermatologist \u2013 that it was not cancerous \u2013 but because I was so anxious and had rung her about three times, she put me on a two-week cancer waiting list.<\/p>\n I remained convinced I had skin cancer until the NHS checked me over, and when they also said I was fine, I finally felt free of that particular concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t But I couldn\u2019t stop diagnosing myself with every cancer going. I assumed a headache was a brain tumour<\/a> and I had three appointments at a private clinic, at \u00a360 each. I found a mark on the roof of my mouth and was sure I had mouth cancer, so I paid \u00a3110 for a dentist to check. I would spend up to and over \u00a340 a time on as many multivitamins as I could get \u2013\u00a0I used to Google \u2018what would prevent cancer?\u2019, and buy whatever the internet told me about.<\/p>\n Family members were starting to lose sympathy. I would ask for reassurance from my mum, and you could hear in her voice that she was fed up with me. So I would go to a lot of these appointments in secret.<\/p>\n Being so stressed about my health even begun to make me actually ill. I would be run down all the time \u2013 and then worry about being run down. It dominated all aspects of my life; it was really isolating, and I became really lonely<\/a>, unable to even text my friends back because I was feeling anxious so much.<\/p>\n The spiral of doom was unending, especially as I had to pay for things on credit cards and go into my overdraft<\/a>, which also stressed me out \u2013\u00a0but I couldn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n One of the biggest sums of money I parted with collectively was when I was pregnant with my third baby in 2024. I was having scans twice a week from six weeks, at \u00a360 per scan again, to make sure he was OK and still moving. I only stopped at about six months when I could feel him moving.<\/p>\n I was the manager of a dental practice at this point and would sit in front of a computer all the time, so I was able to research and fuel my worries.<\/p>\n I was so unhappy. Normal life was passing me by, I wasn\u2019t present for my children. I was a mess.<\/p>\n \t\t In January 2025 I started making flower boxes after watching a video on TikTok as a hobby to occupy my mind. I posted them on Facebook and got a good reaction; suddenly, I was making 20 bouquets a day. <\/p>\n In a way, I swapped one obsession with another, but at least it was a much better one. At last, I was doing something other than stressing about my health.<\/p>\n In October 2025, I made the decision to quit my job and start floristry full time. I opened my own shop a few months later and I\u2019ve never looked back.<\/p>\n I still get the occasional flare-up of health anxiety, but I don\u2019t get panic attacks any more. I feel amazing. I\u2019m so busy with flowers and having something to focus on has completely changed my life. I simply don\u2019t have time to stress about my health anymore.<\/p>\n When I look back on those four years, I feel guilt towards the people around me who were trying to support me. What they were saying was right, but I never listened to them.<\/p>\n But I don\u2019t regret the money I spent. Getting those instant reassurances were exactly what I needed at the time and I would have been so much worse without them.<\/p>\n The best thing is that I\u2019ve got a new life and a new focus now. And that\u2019s worth more than anything.<\/p>\n *As told to Charlotte Owen<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing izzie.price@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305424309-d59a-e1784216185890.jpg\")
\n\t\tI suffered from severe health anxiety for four years (Picture: Natalie Dyson)<\/p>\n![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305424183-98c2-e1784216250670.jpg\")
\n\t\tWhen I found another problem, I immediately forgot about the previous one (Picture: Natalie Dyson)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI280784796-2946.png\")
\n\t\tOur Money experts are here to give you the latest tips and insider guides<\/p>\n![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305424304-9d9e-e1784216321176.jpg\")
\n\t\tI used to feel ill because of my stress about getting ill (Picture: Natalie Dyson)<\/p>\n![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305424297-e1784216407142.jpg\")
\n\t\tI\u2019m so busy with flowers now \u2013 having something to focus on has changed my life (Picture: Natalie Dyson)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: I\u2019m an asexual, non-binary, married mum \u2013 none of that is contradictory<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: \u2018I helped my mum and sister escape our controlling dad \u2013 then he murdered them\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Woman\u2019s tanning bed habit left her with a \u2018hole in her face\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n